Our Story
We, Indika, Thushara, Benaragama, and Wasala, are a group of schoolmates who have stuck together since the age of five, as we begun on our educational journey together in the 1980s. Each one of us embarked on our own unique journey after completing our higher education. Indika becomes a trader and distributor. Thushara transitions from working in banking to a career in IT. Benaragama sets out on a journey to become a skilled marine engineer, while Wasala starts his career as a chemist and settles in the world of marketing. Despite our divergent journeys, our bond as brothers remains unbroken. Every challenge we encountered was met head-on, with unwavering determination and a united front. Our bond is as enduring as a timeless tale.
In 2014, Thushara underwent Whipple surgery. After two years since the surgery, he found himself plagued by a constant ache in his lower abdomen. The ultrasound scan revealed a dilatation of the intrahepatic and common bile ducts. Consequently, bile fluid accumulates around the liver. The doctors advised undergoing regular ultrasound-guided surgery to extract the accumulated bile fluid. Thushara experienced significant discomfort during the removal of stored bile fluid, even with the use of local anesthesia. During that period, everyone, including his family, searched for alternative medicine due to the toll that the frequent removal of stored bile fluid took on Thushara's patience. Luckily, his brother managed to found an Ayurveda doctor who is confident in treating this unusual ailment. During Thushara's hospital visit for ultrasound-guided bile fluid removal, Dr. Nishan Jayasundara, visited him at the hospital and diagnosed him by using the traditional method of pulse reading and assured that Thushara can be cured from indigenous Sri Lankan medicine and Ayurveda. Thushara began on the process of receiving treatments from Dr. Nishan. Following 2 weeks of treatment, an ultrasound scan revealed a decrease in the level of fluid stored around the liver. Our confidence in curing Thushara of this illness using Dr. Nishan's treatment had grown immensely. It's like witnessing a captivating story unfold before our eyes.
Every two weeks, the ultrasound scan revealed a gradual decrease in the accumulated bile fluid, leaving the western doctors who were treating Thushara intrigued. Thushara's illness was completely cured after undergoing Dr. Nishan's six-month treatment. As a result of the way Thushara was healed (which was unexpected by his western doctors) under Dr. Nishan's combined treatments of Ayurveda and indigenous Sri Lankan medicine, we embraced and piqued our curiosity and inquisitiveness towards indigenous Sri Lankan medicine and Ayurveda.
Later, we saw that many of our friends and relatives, both in Sri Lanka and abroad, had recovered from various long-term ailments, including cancer, kidney failure, infertility, diabetes, hypertension, rashes, and many other illnesses. When Thushara and Wasala visited Dr. Nishan one day, he told them that a number of his French patients were looking for a suitable resort in Sri Lanka to stay and receive treatments. We then looked for such a place but were unable to locate it. Most resorts did not provide authentic, holistic healing experience that Thushara was after. As a result, our group decided to build a place that should be close to nature, under the guidance of Dr. Nishan.
Our Concept
Indigenous Sri Lankan medicine, or Hela Wedakama, was an ancient wisdom tradition in healthcare and healing practices. Local villages combined this tradition with their livelihoods. In ancient times, there were no highly paid doctors like today. The medical practitioner might be a Buddhist monk, a farmer, or a blacksmith from the village. He or she passes on this knowledge of medicine from generation to generation, based on their family lineage. They did the medical practices as honorary services, and no charge was claimed.
It is believed that Pulasthi Rishi, the great grandfather of the mythical King Ravana, initiated this ancient heritage of medicinal lore. From then on, this medical lore was developed through our ancient agricultural civilisation, compatible with all livelihoods.
Robert Knox, a British captive in Sri Lanka for 20 years from 1660 to 1680, stated clearly in his book "AN Historical Relation of the Island CEYLON IN THE EAST INDIA" that "the Sinhalese were very knowledgeable in practical medicine, and the forest was their medicinal treasure trove."
The “Hela Wedakama” considers the entire human body and its functions as a whole—one single unit. It asserts that the body consists of five primary components. An imbalance of those five components causes what we call illness or disease. Therefore, it is more logical to treat the entire body as a whole. Unlike western medicine, this approach does not treat the various components separately. The main objective of the “Hela Wedakama” is prevention and cure by means of the wellness of the person physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Nevertheless, Ayurveda is widely acknowledged as a medical discipline with a lengthy history of therapeutic herbal formulations and therapies. Currently, Sri Lankan Ayurveda practitioners have successfully obtained a Bachelor's degree in Ayurveda after completing around 6 years of university education focused on traditional Ayurvedic treatment, along with a comprehensive grasp of Western medicine. Additionally, they undergo a year-long internship in a government-approved hospital to get practical experience.
Our medical director graduated with a Bachelor of Ayurveda Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) from the Institute of Indigenous Medicine, University of Colombo. He obtained special training from Vaidyacharya Kottayawatte Ranbanda (1928-2015), one of the most esteemed indigenous Sri Lankan medical experts in the country.
Thus, at TARA Ayurveda, we integrate the finest aspects of Ayurveda and Sri Lankan indigenous medicine in our comprehensive treatment methodology. Our ideology is motivated by kindness and inspired by wellness. Our methodology commences with displaying benevolence towards individuals that want affection and attention. We strongly believe in the necessity of returning the benefits that we gain from the natural environment. Every tree, bird, and gust of wind will establish a connection between us and the surrounding world, which is crucial for the process of curing illnesses. Therefore, we construct mud cottages as lodging options that have absolutely no carbon emissions. Our objective is to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable and welcomed. We derive inspiration from our ancestral heritage and traditional indigenous customs.
Our Values
• Provide a sanctuary and haven, as peaceful and tranquil as a still lake, in nature to nourish your soul and replenish your body, like a refreshing rain after a long drought, away from some of the excesses of modernity, in an environment in harmony with its surrounding.
• Offer a holistic wellbeing experience that blooms like a vibrant garden, blending the wisdom of indigenous Sri Lankan medicine and Ayurveda principles, like a harmonious dance. Our expert doctors and therapists are like guiding stars, illuminating the path to wellness, while our natural herbal medicines are nurturing the body and soul.
• Teach the art of yoga like a skilled painter strokes a canvas with authentic forms. This essentially means that we steer away from the western adaptation of yoga and instead teach elements to improve your body as well as mindfulness.
• Empowering yourself to care for and look after yourself, like a gentle breeze that soothes and nurtures, enabling you to relax and recover your mind, body, and soul, as if floating on a cloud of tranquilly.
• Care for our team like a nurturing parent, providing them with a sense of belonging in the TARA family. Share our successes like a flock of birds soaring through the sky, as well as learn from our failures together as a team, adapting and growing stronger with each obstacle.
• Provide opportunities to uplift the lives of our community by providing jobs and training to reduce poverty and hardships for them like a lifeline in a stormy sea.
• We recycle everything that we obtain from the natural world. Our mud-house accommodations have a carbon footprint as small as a mouse.